MEDICAL EDITORS: WHO ARE THEY AND WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE THEIR SERVICES?

MEDICAL EDITORS: WHO ARE THEY AND WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE THEIR SERVICES?

INTRODUCTION

Medical editors edit the medical document. They check grammatical and language errors. They simplify the language and correct any data errors. The medical editor also review the style guide and reference formatting as mentioned in the guidelines.

MEDICAL EDITORS

Medical editors are also known as scientific editors. The function of the medical editors is to review and edit the medical documents keeping in mind the view of the reader. However, while performing their task, the medical editors also ensure to maintain the core message of the document. The medical editor edits the medical document to make it clear and error-free. He also ensures that there is no incorrect data. He also looks for any ambiguous information that may confuse the reader. The medical editors are language experts and have a passion for reading documents.

WHAT MEDICAL EDITOR DO IN PUBLICATION WRITING PROCESS?

• Comprehensive review: The medical editors comprehensively review the complete document. They determine the level of readability and ensure that the language used is appropriate for the target journals.
• Grammatical errors: The medical editors also ensure that there should be no grammatical errors in the document. The editors correct the grammatical errors and use of inappropriate phrasing.
• Language errors: The medical editor will also correct the language errors in the document. The medical editor looks into the flow, clarity, and usage of the language. The editor may also review the logic and consistency of language.
• Data errors: Data is critical in any medical document. In some cases, the author may make a data error while incorporating the final data from the raw data. The medical editors compare the raw data and final data and find the error. The medical editor also looks for any missing information which is important for the readers to know.
• Formatting: The medical editor formats the medical document to make it in a ready-to-submit form.
• Style guides: Different journals have different style guides. Some journal follows APA referencing while the other journals follow AMA referencing. Further, the submission and writing guidelines of different journals are different. Medical editors ensure that the document prepared is according to the guidelines prepared by the examining authority, whether a university, an organization, or a journal.
• Technical terminology: The medical editor also corrects the medical terminology. They may also make the language easier and free from jargon to avoid complexity.

WHY DID YOU HIRE A MEDICAL EDITOR?

Medical editors play an important role in the preparation of a medical document. Hiring the medical editing services agency provides you the following benefits:

• Editing agency makes the medical document free from any errors, including grammatical, text, and data errors.
• Provides the document in ready-to-submit form.
• Also checks the plagiarism before delivering the final document.
• They also proofread the document and minimize the chances of rejection.
• Hasten the acceptance and publication of the document.

PREPARATION BEFORE HIRING A MEDICAL EDITOR

Hiring a medical editor or an agency may be sometimes costly. The cost and time increase with an increased number of errors. So, the author must go through the document, try to edit it before submitting it to the medical editor for editing. Some of the steps that the author may follow are:

• If the author had no access to paid grammar software, he could run the document on free grammar software. There is several free grammar software available.
• The author should read the document from the viewpoint of the reader. It will help in removing the redundancy and reducing the complexity.
• The author should also compare the final data with the raw data to remove any data errors.
• The author may also check the medical terminology and the abbreviations for correctness.

CONCLUSION

Medical editors play a crucial role in the submission of medical documents. They accelerate the acceptance and publication and reduce the chances of rejection.